The Great Gatsby is an autobiographical novel in several ways. The author has depicted the life in the 1920s as he had seen and lived it. Two of the main characters (Nick and Gatsby) bear the same energy and depth as the author himself. It is also why both the characters are more alive than the other ones. Gatsby represents the lavish lifestyles of the rich people of the era but at the same time he also bears the romantic attitude and seriousness of the author. Most important thing about the two characters is their originality. Nick is a relatively simpler and yet a deep and engaging character. Gatsby on the other hand, looks frivolous at the surface but has great density inside. People generally find more of the author in Nick as compared to Gatsby. Still, it is not difficult to find the same madness as the author himself in the central character of the novel. Fitzgerald used to drink heavily in his youth. Some of the same spoilt nature and …show more content…
The death of Gatsby at the end also ends the confusion that despite dreaming of being rich, the author decided to stick to his personal values. Gatsby has used inferior means to gather his wealth in the novel and appears a bit sly on the inside. After all, his motive is to cleverly take Daisy away. All is fair in love and war. So, in this sense Gatsby represents one side of the author’s character but with a twist. The way Nick monitors people and events keenly in the novel signifies the author’s own deep outlook and how he would look at people and events in his age. Nick is not someone who would let himself flow with the running tide. He is more like a stone on the bank – calm and serious. However, while these facts indicate that the Great Gatsby is an autobiographical novel, it is not so in its entirety. There are also elements of criticism in the novel and a depiction of the social scenario and rising moral decay during the